Stereotype-plate finishing and cooling machine.



R. T. JOHNSTON.

STEREOTYPE PLATE FINISHING AND COOLING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 31,1914.

' Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. FHO'TO-LITHQ. WASHINGIDN, Dv C.

R.v T. JOHNSTON.

STEBEOTYPE PLATE'FINISHING AND COOLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILLED JULY 31. 1914- 1,126,772. Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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THE NORRIS PETERS C0., PHDTO-L!THU-, wnanlNGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT T. JOHNSTON, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

STEREOTYPE-PLATE FINISHING AND COOLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Original application filed May 23, 1913, Serial No. 769,382. Divided and this application'filed J'ufy 31, 1914. Serial No. 854,423.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT T. JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stereotype- Plate Finishing and Cooling Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to stereotype plate finishing and cooling machines of the type shown in my application, Serial No. 769,392, filed May 23, 1913, of which this application is a division, and particularly to the means for withdrawing a plate from the trimming and shaving drum into position for cooling and later for delivering the finished and cooled plate ready for use.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide withdrawing means of this type which shall be automatic in its action and which shall be automatically controlled for engaging the plate at the proper moment. The means by which I have accomplished this object are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are hereinafter specifically described. That which I believe to be new is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is substantially a central vertical section through a plate finishing and cooling machine embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, being substantially a section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, showing the plate withdrawing means gripping a plate in the finishing drum ready for advancing it to the plate cooling devices; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, showing the position of the parts of the plate withdrawing means at the limit of its stroke to the right in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing the position of the parts of the plate withdrawing means at the limit of its stroke to the left in Fig. l with the gripping means held out of operative gripping position; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail, showing the manner of mounting the stop device by which the gripping means is prevented at times from gripping a plate for withdrawing it from the finishing drum.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters,- 10 indicates a frame upon which a drum 11 is revolubly mounted in any suitable manner, being adapted to be driven by a gear 12 adapted to be secured when desired to the drum 11. The gear 12 is driven continuously by a worm 13 mounted upon a continuously driven shaft 14: suitably mounted in the frame. Extending into the drum 11 is a bracket 15 mounted upon the frame 10 carrying a plate stop device 16 of any suitable type, and provided with a shaving blade 17 at one side. A curved printing plate 18 is adapted to be moved into position in the drum upon guide ways 1920 carried by the drum, the plate being adapted to be locked in position in the drum in the manner described in my said application or in any other suitable manner. After the plate has been finished in the drum 11 it is withdrawn from the drum by the mechanism hereinafter described and transferred to the cooling dome 21 by being slid longitudinally of itself upon a pair of rails 22 suitably spaced apart to serve as guide ways for the lower edges of the plate. In the cooling dome 21 the plate is acted upon by a brush device 23 which is adapted to be driven by any suitable gearing, not shown in full. Inasmuch as the devices so far referred to are fully described in my said application, Serial No. 769,392, it is believed that it is not necessary to describe them or their operation further herein since they form of themselves no part of mv Present invention.

The plate is withdrawn from the finishing drum and later slid along the rails 22 out of the cooling device by means of mechanism carried by a rack-bar 24 which is slidable longitudinally in a suitable bracket 25 mounted upon the framework 10. The rackbar 24 is adapted to be reciprocated along the bracket 25 through the medium of a gear 26 which is rotated alternately in opposite directions by means of an oscillatory lever 27 provided with an arc-shaped segment 28 which meshes with a gear 29 mounted upon the shaft 30 upon which said gear 26 is mounted. The lever 27 is mounted at about its middle point upon a stud shaft 31 carried by the framework 10, the lower end of the lever being reciprocated by a slide block which has a sliding engagement with the lower end of the lever. and which is pivotally mounted upon a disk 33 which is driven continuously by a shaft 34. The

shaft 34 has mounted upon it a worm gear 35 meshing with a worm 36 mounted upon a shaft 37 which is connected with the shaft 14 by means of intermeshing gears 38-39 mounted upon said shafts. As will be readily understood, when the shaft 34 is rotated by reason of power being applied to any one of the connected shafts just described, the disk 33 will be rotated, swinging the lever 27 through the medium of the slide block 32, rotating the gears 29 and 26, and reciprocating the rack-bar 24 back and forth in Fig. l. j v 7 Depending from the rack-bar 24 at one side thereof is a bracket 40 provided at its lower end with a horizontally-extending pin 41 upon which is pivotally mounted an arm 42, the opening through the arm 42 in which the pin 41 works being in the form of a slot 43 whereby said arm 1S adapted to be swung about the pin and is also adapted to be moved longitudinally of itself. A locking bar 44 is pivotally mounted upon a pin 45 carried by the rack-bar 24 a short distance rearward of the bracket 40, said locking bar being provided at its lower end with an angular slot 46 engaging a pin 47 carried by the arm 42. A coiled spring 48 is connected between said pins 45l7 tending to hold the arm 42 in its uppermost position with the pin 47 in the upper end of the slot 46.

The arm 42 has pivotally connected to it at its upper edge a pin 49 which extends through a lug 50, a spring 51 being mounted upon said pin and tending to hold the arnr yieldingly at the limit of its movement to the rear relative to the bracket 40. The lrcking bar 44 is likewise provided with a pin 52 pivotally connected to it passing through another lug 53 carried by the bracket 40, a spring 54 mounted upon said pin tending to hold the locking bar 44 yieldingly at the limit of its motion to the rear. The arm 42 is provided at its lower edge with a gripping-jaw 55 formed therewith or suitably secured thereto. Pivotally mounted upon said gripping-jaw 55, by means of a pivot pin 55, is a coijperating grippingjaw 56 provided at its rear end with a hook 57. Rising from the gripping-jaw 56, at one side thereof, is a finger 58 by means of which the gripping-jaw is adapted to be turned upon its pivrt pin-55.

59 is a rod pivotally connected by means of a pivot pin 60 upon the gripping-jaw 56 at its front end, the rod 59 extending through a suitable lug 61 carried by the arm 42. A spring 62 mounted upon the rod 59 tends to hold the pivot pin 60 as far as possible from the lug 61 whereby the grippingjaw 56 is held by said spring either in the position shown in Fig. 3, with the hook end of the jaw in its uppermost position relative to the jaw 55, or in the position shown in Fig. 4 with the hooked end of the jaw 56 moved to its lowermost position relative to the jaw 55. That is to say, the spring 62 is adapted to hold the pivot pin 60 in either one of its off-center positions between the pivot pin 55 and the lug 61.

Depending from the bracket 25 at its front end is a short arm 63, pivotally mounted upon which is a bar 64 free to rise relative to the arm 63 but held against descending by a pin 65 carried by said arm.

.Slidably mounted upon the framework at about the front edge of the finishing drum is a stop 66, the same being slidable up and down relative to the framework a short distance as limited by slots 67 working upon pins 68-69, respectively, upon the latter of which pins is mounted a nut 70 for holding the stop frictionally in either its upper or lower positions.

As has been set forth above, the rack-bar 24 is adapted to be reciprocated back and forth continuously during the operation of the machine, carrying with it the arm 42 and its connected parts. The reciprocation of the rack-bar 24 is timed relative to the rotation of the drum so that the jaw 56 is brought into its rearmost position shortly after the unlocking of the plate after the finishing operation. In order to avoid the necessity for timing the insertion of the plate into the drum, means is provided for preventing the engagement of the plate by the jaw 56 when the plate is pushed into the drum until after the plate has been acted upon by the finishing means. tant, however, that the finished plate be removed from the cooling dome as soon as it is properly cooled. My apparatus is accordingly arranged so that a plate is withdrawn from the cooling dome upon the nextsucceeding forward stroke of the rack-bar 24 after the stroke of said bar which serves to introduce the plate into the cooling dome. The jaws 5556 are lifted so as to avoid the plate in the cooling dome 21 upon their movement to the rear in the manner hereinafter described, but upon any forward stroke of the rack-bar 24, any plate which may be in position in the cooling dome 21 is engaged by the lug 71 upon the front end of the jaw 55 and pushed along the rails 22 out of the dome 21.

At the end of each stroke of the bar 24 to the right in Fig. 1, the bar 64 is brought into engagement with the finger 58 of the jaw 56 moving the hooked end of the jaw downward relative to the jaw 55 against the action of the spring 62, in which turned position the jaw is then held by said spring as above described. At approximately the same time the upper end of the locking bar 44 is brought into contact with a pin 72, carried by the bracket 25, forcing the lower end of the locking bar to the right in Fig. 4 against the action of the spring 54, bring- It is imporing the pin 47 opposite the vertically-disposed portion of the slot 46, whereupon the spring 48 serves to raise the arm 42 and the bar 64 and the parts carried thereby. With the parts in this position the jaws 5556 are adapted to clear a plate in position in the cooling dome upon the succeeding stroke of the rack-bar 24 to the left in Fig. 1.

Just before the rack-bar 24 arrives at the limit of its movement to the rear, a roller 73 revolubly mounted upon the arm 42 is brought into contact with a cam 74 mounted upon the bracket 25 whereby the arm 42 is moved downward against the action of the spring 48. When the pin 47 in this downward movement of the arm 42 is brought opposite the horizontal portion of the slot 46, the spring 54 serves to move the lower end of the locking bar 44 to the rear, again locking the arm 42 in its lowermost position. The cam 74 does not serve to move the gripping-jaw 56 into gripping position relative to the jaw 55, the jaw 56 being retained in the position relative to the jaw 55, as shown in Fig. 5, until returned to gripping position, as hereinafter described.

As is shown in Fig. 2, the drum 11 is provided with a lug or cam 75 which is adapted to be brought into contact with the shoulder 76 of the stop 66 at substantially the completion of a rotation of the drum for finishing a plate, serving to elevate said stop slightly. When the rack-bar 24 is brought to the limit of its stroke to the rear, with the arm 42 moved to lowered position through the medium of the cam 74, and with the jaw 56 in its lowered position relative to the jaw 55, after the cam 75 has raised the stop 66, the jaw 55 is adapted to clear said stop, the jaw 56 passing under the edge of the plate 18 which has by that time been unlocked from the drum. By the movement of the rack-bar 24 to the rear the finger 58 is brought in contact with the front face of the stop 66 causing the jaw 56 to turn against the action of the spring 62 upon the pivot pin 55 bringing the jaw 56 to locking position, as shown in Fig. 1. Upon the movement of the rack-bar 24 thereupon in a forward direction, the plate 18 is withdrawn from the drum and moved into the cooling dome 21. At the end of the stroke in a forward direction, the bar 64 serves to release the jaw 56 from the plate, as above described, and the pin 72 acting upon the locking bar 44 causes the plate gripping devices to be raised as above described so as to clear the plate in position in thecooling dome upon the next movement of the rack-bar 24 to the rear. Upon a movement of the rack-bar 24 to the rear before the cam 75 has arrived in position to raise the stop 66, the rear end of the jaw 55 is brought into contact with the lower end of the stop 66 serving to stop the movement of the arm 42 against the action of the spring 51, as best shown in Fig. 5, the gripping-jaws 55-56 being thus held against engagement with the plate which is in the process of being finished in the drum.

After the stop 66 has been raised by means of the cam or-lug 75 so as to permit the jaws 5556 to grip the plate in position in the drum, upon the next-succeeding movement of the rack-bar 24 in a forward direction a stud or roller 77 carried by the rack-bar near its rear end is brought in contact with an arm 78 mounted upon the stop 66 serving to depress the stop 66 into operative position so as to engage the stop 55 upon the nextsucceeding movement of the rack-bar 24 to the rear unless the stop is again raised 1n the meantime by the cam 75, the upper end of the arm 78 being beveled so as to accomplish this purpose.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, and means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved back past the plate.

2. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a hooked jaw carried thereby adapted to engage a rib near the leading end of a plate for moving the plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, and means for moving said hooked jaw relative to said reciprocatory member whereby the jaw may bemoved back past the plate.

3. A. plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a pair of rearwardly-projecting gripping jaws carried thereby adapted to grip the leading end of a plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, and means for moving said jaws relative to the reciprocatorv member whereby they may be moved back past the plate.

4. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprooatory member. a device carried thereby for engag ng the leading end of a plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination. means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device mav be moved to the rear past the plate, and means for return ng said engaging de vice to operative position to engage anotherplate.

5. A plate transferring mechanism. comprising a reciprocatory member. a de ice carried thereby for engag ng the lead ng end of a plate. means for releasing the plate when it reaches its dest nation, means for mo ing said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device be moved to the rear past'the plate, and automatically-acting means for returning said engaging device to operative position to engage another plate.

G. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved to the rear past the plate, and means automatically-acting at approximately the end of the stroke of the reciprocatorymember to the rear for returning said engaging device to operative position to engage another plate.

7. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, means for releasing'the plate when it reaches its first-stop position, means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved to the rear past the plate, means operative at about the end of the stroke of said reciprocatory member to the rear for returning said engaging device to operative position to engage another plate, and means carried by said engaging device adapted upon the next-succeeding stroke in advance to engage the rear end of said first-1nentioned plate to push it to a second-stop position.

8. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, automatically-acting means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, and means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved back past the plate.

9. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a i'eciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, and automatically-acting means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved back past the plate.

10. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, automatically-acting means for releasing'the platewhen it reaches its destination, and automatically-acting means for moving said engagingdevice relative to said reciprocatory member wherebysaid device may be moved back past the plate.

11. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of aplate, automatically-acting means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, and automatically-acting means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved to the rear past the plate,

and means for returning said engaging de- VlCetO operative position to engage another plate.

for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, automatically-acting means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved to the rear past the plate, and automatically-acting means for returning said engaging device to operative position to engage another plate.

' 13. A plate transferring mechanism comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, automatically-acting means operative at the end of the advance stroke of said reciprocatory member for releasing said plate and for removing said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved to the rear past said plate, and automaticallyacting means operative at approximately the end of the stroke of the reciprocatory memher to the rear for returning said engaging device to operative position to engage another plate.

14. A plate transferring mechanism, com prising a: reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, means for releasing the plate whenwit reaches its destination, means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved to the rearpast the plate, and a cam adapted to return said engaging device'to operative position to engage another 11.

plate.

15. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, a device carried thereby for engaging the leading end of a plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, means for moving said engaging device relative to said reciprocatory member whereby said device may be moved to the rear past the plate,

and a cam operative at approximately the end of the stroke of thereciprocatory memberto the rear to return said engaging device to operative position to engage another plate. i

16. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, an arm pivctally mounted thereon, means carried by said arm adapted to engage the leading end of a plate for advancing the plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, and means for raising said arm relative to said reciprocatory member whereby the engaging device may be moved back past the plate.

17. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a rcciprocatory member, an arm pivotally mounted thereon, means carried by said arm adapted to engage the leading end of a plate for advancing the plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, yielding means tending to raise said arm relative to said reciprocatory mem her, a locking bar adapted when in operative position to hold said arm downward against the action of said yielding means, and means for displacing said locking bar to permit said yielding means to raise said arm to carry the engaging device upward to permit said device to be moved back past the plate.

18. A plate transferring mechanism, comprising a reciprocatory member, an arm pivotally mounted thereon, means carried by said arm adapted to engage the leading end of a plate for advancing the plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, yielding means tending to raise said arm relative to said reciprocatory memher, a locking bar pivotally connected at its upper end to said reciprocatory member, a pin mounted in said arm working in an angular slot in said locking bar adapted while in the lower portion of said slot to hold said arm down against the action of said yielding means, other yielding means tending to hold said locking bar in position with the pin in the lower portion of the slot, and means for swinging said locking bar against the action of said last-named yielding means for moving said slot relative to said pin to permit said first-named yielding means to raise said arm to carry the engaging device upward to permit said device to be moved back past the plate.

19. A plate transferring mechanism, com prising a reciprocatory member, an arm pivotally mounted thereon, means carried by said arm adapted to engage the leading end of a plate for advancing the plate, means for releasing the plate when it reaches its destination, yielding means tending to raise said arm relative to said reciprocatory member, a locking bar pivotally connected at its upper end to said reciprocatory member, a pin mounted in said arm working in an angular slot in said locking bar adapted while in the lower portion of said slot to hold said arm down against the action of said yielding means, other yielding means tending to hold said locking bar in position with the pin in the lower portion of the slot, means for swinging said locking bar against the action of said last-named yielding means for moving said slot relative to said pin to permit said first-named yielding means to raise said arm to carry the engaging device upward to permit said device to be moved back past the plate, and a cam adapted to force said arm downward as said reciprocatory member moves to the rear permitting said first-named yielding means to move said locking bar into position with the pin again engaging the lower portion of the slot and preventing the return of the arm to its raised position by said first-named yielding means.

ROBERT T. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

\V. H. Dn Bosn, MINNIE A. HUNTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

